


Spidertroll

by Cookiemonster2000



Series: Trollcops [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, M/M, but boy when they make an appearance (!!!!!!), huge complex work that I should’ve known better than to start lmao, the kids are in this but they won’t make an appearance until l8r, trollcops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-04-17 23:20:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14199840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cookiemonster2000/pseuds/Cookiemonster2000
Summary: Terezi Pyrope, ruthless police detective, is on the trail of the elusive, highly dangerous criminal Vriska Serket, otherwise known as the Spider. She's been consumed with this hunt since her first day on the job, and nobody can call the first semi-blind female detective on the force a quitter! However, dramatic personal vendettas aside, she's got a bit of a more close-to-home problem to deal with: she's just gotten stuck with a transferred cop (and total loose cannon) from a neighboring city as her new partner. Karkat Vantas, a moody, messy-haired coffee addict, seems to have a revenge agenda of his own, and transferred following a lead on the elusive Jack Noir. When (if) they stop bickering long enough to actually work together, they're an unstoppable justice-bringing team.W4TCH OUT, B4D GUYS! TH3 TROLLCOPS 4R3 ON TH3 C4S3!





	1. Shot in the Heart Part One: Shouty McCrab

**Author's Note:**

> Listen to [this](http://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/trollcops) while reading. That's a non negotiable.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So, open your eyes, moron!" he snapped. "She has her own signature style, doesn't she? She's a fancy little shit. Always leaves a _special_ note in some _mysterious_ place. Once she used some fancy-ass lavender paper and dark blue sweet-smelling ink, just for you and your bizarre little smell complex. Hell, has she _ever once_ just snatched a piece of rough printer paper off a desk and scribbled a hasty 'ahaha, i did this, suck it, pyrope!' on it before?"
> 
> "It doesn't say-- _smell complex_?"

"I'm _what_?" Terezi demanded shrilly.

Kanaya glanced down at her subordinate with a haughty look that would cause almost anyone to clam up instantly.

"You're getting a transfer from Prospit City as your partner."

"But why? I don't need--"

"I know you prefer to do your work alone," Kanaya said sharply, "but your eyesight makes you too vulnerable. You need somebody to watch your back."

"I resent that!" she retorted. "I'm perfectly capable on my own!"

"You're obsessed with the Spider and you want to bring her down yourself. I understand this. However, you're a very valuable asset for homocides, and we need you to spread out your area of expertise more." Kanaya's mouth curved upwards slyly. "You've got a real _nose_ for crime, and we can use that."

Terezi sniffed. "Puns, Ms. Maryam?"

"In all seriousness, you need a partner to keep your intensity in check. You can't just keep running off the second you get a bit of a lead."

She let out a long, airy sigh of the sufferer. "Fine."

Kanaya raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Ma'am." she corrected herself.

"Thank you." the chief smiled. "Now, you and the new guy will be in charge of serious homicide cases in the city from now on. That doesn't mean I'm cutting off your personal investigation," she added hastily as Terezi opened her mouth, "I just want to give you a chance to do something different for a change."

Another long sigh. Terezi was enjoying this.

"I just hope you got somebody who won't get in my way," she muttered. "Why did somebody transfer to this crummy old city, anyways?"

"Ask him yourself." Kanaya turned on her heel and headed out the door. "And, Ms. Pyrope?"

"Yeah?"

"Watch your tone when you're talking to me."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"And good luck."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

. 

So there she was, sitting alone in her little office, waiting for a supposed "partner" to show up. Terezi groaned and slammed her head down on the desk. It just figured. Right when the trail had gone cold, she was stuck with a whole other problem to deal with.

The office was small, and the blinds were drawn, making the room darker than she usually liked it. Terezi had been nearly blind since a childhood accident damaged her eyes severely, and she needed strong glasses to help her see. To read, it needed to be bright. That was why she liked her laptop so much. Speaking of her laptop, she hadn't worked on her story in a while. . .

_Hm. Well, since I'm waiting for somebody anyway, there's no harm in taking a little break._

She opened her laptop and began typing up a new chapter.

It was a dismal afternoon, gray and drizzling, windy and cold. As I sat in my office, wearing my neat cream button-up blouse and crisp, knee-length navy-blue skirt, trying to drown my troubles in a steaming cup of black, bitter coffee, I could almost smell the darkness settling over my city like a musty cloud of smog. When you've been in the business as long as I have, you start to get a sense of trouble brewing when crime starts to trickle in like the raindrops dripping from the gutter.

And that afternoon was a perfect storm.

Well, it wasn't so much a story as an overly dramatic autobiography, but that just made it cooler. 

There wasn't a doubt in my mind that the Spider was out on the prowl. She'd been dormant, lying in wait, for almost a month now. She had to be getting restless, just as restless as I'd been getting, waiting for her to resume out dangerous game of cat and mouse, crime and justice.

The door to her office slammed open. 

The door to my office slammed open, startling me out of my reverie.

Terezi simply looked at the dripping cop standing there. Or tried to--his face was shrouded in darkness, and his messy black hair was uncombed and fell partly over his face.

A young man stood there, acting much like a personification of the afternoon. Storm cloud gray, indifferent, hostile.

"Pal," she grinned, partially just to break the dramatic tension, "If you're gonna come into _my_ office and interrupt my work, you're gonna have to square up and look me in the eye, and quit acting like a middle school boy who's about to ask his crush to the dance." 

He straightened and looked her square in the eye. "Shut the hell up."

He was playing the part of an inconsiderate asshat. But I knew better.

I flashed him a grin. "What can I do for you?"

He was red, passionate, candy, cherry crimson. My nose doesn't lie.

His eyes narrowed. "Terezi Pyrope?"

"That's me."

"I'm your new partner."

And in an instant, I knew I wasn't going to have a dull moment for a while.

Terezi closed the laptop with a _click_.

"You smell like cherries." she stated.

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused." she smiled. "I said you smell like cherries."

"Why the fuck would you say something like that?"

She sighed. "Vantas, did you read my file?"

"Um, yes. Why, have you read mine?"

"I didn't have time to, but that's beside the point. It should have said that I have a rare form of synesthesia."

"You're going to explain to me what that means, I assume?"

"It means words and people have colors and smells for me. Very vivid ones, sometimes."

He wrinkled his nose. "That's fucking weird."

"Yup. But I was telling you something I sensed about your personality by telling you your smell." she explained. "You want to smell like stormcloud gray, somebody who doesn't care and doesn't take shit. But you don't. You smell like red, red candy cherries. And it is _delicious_."

He groaned and sat down in the chair opposite her desk. "Wow, that is _seriously_ bizarre. You sure know how to make a guy feel at home in a new city."

"I try!"

"What do _you_ smell like?" he asked, curious despite himself.

"Hard work and dedication," she said with a straight face.

"Ha."

"You're no fun!" she exclaimed. "I smell like fresh rainwater and old law books."

"Huh." He leaned back in the chair. "You're straight-up insane, aren't you?"

"Yeah, that's how I got to be a police detective." she said with a smile.

"You two are getting on like a house on fire," Kanaya said from the hallway, suppressing laughter.

"Yeah, there may be no survivors," Karkat growled, reaching over and shutting the door.

. 

"Getting along well?"

Terezi answered by groaning loudly, her head face down on the desk.

Tavros, the rookie who hadn't seen too much on the field yet, was kind soul and his intrusion was a welcome change from the intensity of her usual interactions. Even if he was _really_ obtuse, his heart was in the right place, which shouldn't be sneered at. Even Terezi, a self-proclaimed cold-hearted bitch, could recognize that.

He chuckled. "I, uh, guess I should take that as a no."

"He's infuriating, Tavros!" she exclaimed, her head popping up. "An hour with him drains me like an entire day of work. I called him 'Shouty McCrabs' (which, by the way, was a _great_ nickname) _once_ , as a joke, because he was getting all up in arms about something dumb, and he got all prissy with me!"

Vantas had gone back to set things up at his new apartment building. They'd spent an hour figuring out their new schedules of work and exchanging work contact information. 

"Maybe he'll be better after you get to know each other." he suggested politely.

"Maybe." She plunked her head back down. "But until then, gone are my days of peace and quiet and writing for fun when there's nothing else to do in the office."

"You'll still be able to write in your free time!" Tavros said encouragingly. "I love your stories!"

Of course, she'd shown _him_ her writing. He was the type to praise it to the moon and offer honest but not too hurtful criticisms. Plus, he _liked_ murder mysteries.

She cracked a smile. "They're basically just real life."

"That only makes them cooler! Your character is _just_ like you, and she's awesome."

"I'd like to think so," she sighed. "I can't keep as level a head in these high-stress situations than I'd like."

"Oh, I bet you're better than you think you are," he said, smiling gently. "You're so smart, Terezi."

She snorted, secretly pleased. "Psshhh."

"Yeah, you are!" Tavros argued. "I hope you and the new guy will decide to bring me along at some point."

"Pyrope, quit fishing for compliments from the rookie and get to my office, now." Kanaya's stern voice rang out from the hall. "You've got your first case with Vantas, call him back to the station, _now._ "

. 

"So, where are we going?"

Terezi rolled her eyes behind her red-tinted pointy glasses. "We're headed to the aquarium. Somebody's been found dead, got blood all over the carpet, apparently. Murder is suspected."

"'Course it is." he growled, staring out the window of the car. "What about suicide? They don't gotta drag us into it before a preliminary inspection, at least."

"Come on, cheer up, partner!" she grinned. "This is our first case together!"

"We don't even know if it's a legitimate 'case' yet. That's the whole point I was just trying to make. Weren't you even listening to me?"

"What, listen to your bitching? Why?"

"I was trying to unpack, where does your chief get off? I've been in town all of two hours. I don't want to look at corpses in the company of fish right now, come on. I haven't even had fucking _lunch_ yet. I'm so hungry."

She reached into her huge purse and pulled out a granola bar. "Want one?"

He eyed it warily. "How long's that been in there?"

Terezi tried not to be offended. "I restock my snack supply every weekend. It's been there two days, and it's a fucking _granola bar_."

Begrudgingly, Karkat took the bar and unwrapped it. "Thanks." he muttered.

She flashed him another grin. "No problem, Shouty."

He grimaced and took a bite.

. 

Well, Vantas was right about one thing. It was a downright unappetizing situation.

The tall blonde woman was stretched out across the floor of the aquarium's office, a single bullet hole in her gut. The blood _had_ ruined the carpet, as well as her very nice fuchsia-colored professional-looking dress. The woman's pink framed glasses were lying, red-splattered, a few feet away, closer to the door. A large bruise was prominent on her cheek, further ruination of a beautiful young lady.

Karkat had taken one look at the body and groaned. "Great. It _is_ a homicide."

"How can you tell?" Terezi was already on her hands and knees. "Maybe it _was_ an awful suicide."

"Oh, don't joke." he said disgustedly. "She doesn't have a fucking gun in her hand. Besides, it's not just the bullet that killed her."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, okay, yeah," he ceded, "it killed her, but it wasn't the only thing that had a hand in her death. Look at the bruise on her face. She had a scuffle first, was probably putting up a fight, before whoever it was shot her as a last resort."

"You can't possibly--"

"Has anything in this room been disturbed since the body was discovered?"

This was directed at a cop who was standing by the door. He'd been here since they showed up, and shook his head. "The lady who discovered her ran right back out, apparently. They left everything untouched until you two got here, since we got here."

"How do you know that she ran right out without touching anything?" Terezi demanded.

The cop tipped his hat awkwardly and flushed. "Well, she was with somebody else, coming in, when she opened the door and saw the body. Both she and the guy she was with say she screamed and slammed the door, coming to call us at once."

"Was it locked up normally?" Karkat asked seriously. "I mean, the room, was the door locked like it should have been?"

"Look, I wasn't here," he said. "Ask the lady yourself, ok? All I know is what they told me."

Terezi, frowning, turned back to the body. "Bruise on her face. Looks like a slap mark to me."

"Yeah." Karkat said, nodding. "Which is weird, because if it was a burglar or something she walked in on, he wouldn't have hesitated to pull the trigger on sight, or punched her. Not a slap across the face. The question is, would she have attacked a burglar herself? Or is this somebody she knew, who she had a bit of a nasty fight with?"

"What a fight!" was all she could say, looking at the body.

"Yeah," he repeated, scratching his head. "But we need to know more about her personally. They've identified her body, right?"

The cop at the door nodded. "Her name was Feferi Piexes. She was an assistant director here. I actually had met her myself in passing, visiting the aquarium with my kids--she didn't seem like the type to make enemies. Pretty cheerful and sweet, gave my daughter a lollipop. It's a damn shame." Shaking his head, the guy stepped out for a moment in the hall.

"Well, it looks like we've got our first case, partner." Terezi said to Karkat, who shrugged halfheartedly.

"I still need some lunch. There's plenty to learn from the questioning of the person who discovered the body, and they'll take pictures. Let's go."

She turned her head to smile at him, and possibly to make a smart-ass comment about eating lunch before two in the afternoon, when a piece of paper sitting on the desk caught her eye.

A piece of paper with a big, hastily scribbled drawing of a spider.

"Wait!"

Karkat was halfway out the door already, but she had snatched it up and was reading it hard. "'Somebody got in a little too _deep_ here.'" she read out loud, in a hollow voice. "'Careful you're not next, Pyrope. Watch your back!'"

Karkat's face was expressionless.

"It's the **Spider** ," Terezi whispered hoarsely, staring at the mark on the note. "She's finally back."

The moment of drama and intensity was shattered when her partner coughed loudly.

"Seriously?" he demanded, striding forward. "You're gonna just assume you know exactly who did it because you found her damn symbol at the crime scene?"

"You clearly don't understand," she snapped, straightening up and holding out the note. "It's _her_ symbol. It's what she uses to take credit for--"

"Yeah! Yeah, take credit for. It's her thing." Karkat rolled his eyes. "Has it ever once occurred to you that other people can draw that symbol and try to pin the blame on her, knowing how obsessed you are with the bitch?"

"I am _not_ obsessed--"

"Yeah, you are. An hour talking to you and _I_ got it. Whoever did _this_ only had to read about you in the papers or some shit." He snatched the note and glanced it over. "Look at the paper, Pyope. See this paper type? See this black ink?"

"So?"

"So, open your eyes, moron!" he snapped. "She has her own signature style, doesn't she? She's a fancy little shit. Always leaves a _special_ note in some _mysterious_ place. Once she used some fancy-ass lavender paper and dark blue sweet-smelling ink, just for you and your bizarre little smell complex. Hell, has she _ever once_ just snatched a piece of rough printer paper off a desk and scribbled a hasty 'ahaha, i did this, suck it, pyrope!' on it before?"

"It doesn't say-- _smell complex_?"

"It pretty much does. Also," he glanced down again, "She doesn't give a signature. She always leaves a signature. 'Spider', then her little drawing. On this note there's only the drawing. Since you aren't going to realize what this means because you're either just too dense or you're too obsessed with her, I guess I'll spell it out for you again. The author of this note--the killer--didn't know her signature well enough to forge it, so he went without it, hoping you'd ignore the lack. So you wanna know what this job really was?"

Terezi was silent. She seemed to be pondering.

Karkat ran his hand through his already incredibly untidy black hair angrily. "God. Okay, here you go. It was an inside job, hastily done. Feferi Piexes knew too much about something dirty, or got somebody a little too mad. She got taken out quickly, without much planning at all, or any, for that matter. Easy enough: get to the girl, have a little skirmish, bang bang, shoot her in the gut. Now you want us to waste valuable resources and time trying to pin it on the Spider, because the guy who really did this drew her little symbol on his hastily written messy note. Congratu-fucking-lations, you almost ruined everything. Again."

Karkat tossed the note back at his partner and went back over to the body.

"Not to mention the fact that the bullets went into her at close range, judging by the powder marks on her nice clothes. And getting shot _after_ a skirmish? Feferi probably knew the person who killed her. I'm also willing to bet that the door was locked up behind her, and the killer worked here as well."

Terezi bowed her head, frustrated and embarrassed.

Shaking his head, he walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. When he spoke, his voice was, for the first time, a lot less angry and a lot more understanding.

"Look, Terezi. I get it. You really want to bring this bitch in."

"Yeah." she muttered.

"You can't do that by acting like she did everything, like she's secretly the mastermind behind everything." he murmured. "We can get her. We _will_ get her. But you have to stop being so damn obsessed with her first."

Terezi sighed. "You're right, Karkat. Congratu-fucking-lations."

"Appreciated." His anger seemed completely quelled. "Now, how about we go get lunch at whatever place makes good food fast?"

. 

It was only sitting in the restaurant with their food that it occurred to her.

"How did you know all that stuff about the Spider?"

"Huh?"

He'd single-handedly got her back on track with a few logical points. Important points.

"Like, the lavender note. How'd you know about that?"

Karkat rolled his eyes. "I read your file. It kept mentioning the Spider, the Spider, the Spider, so I naturally had to look her up. The cases with her were so interesting I just kept reading them."

"So I guess you read all about my humiliating defeats, huh?" Terezi poked at her spaghetti. "How she got away, over and over, because of me?"

"I read about how she's a tough, intelligent opponent." he replied sternly. "And how we're going to catch her. Together."

She looked up at him. Seeing the familiar fire blazing in his eyes, Terezi cracked a smile despite herself.

"You read _that_ in the case files?" she teased.

"Well, clearly, no, I didn't," he said quickly, "but it's something that's gonna happen anyway. I'm here to catch Jack, it's true, but if we bring down _two_ crime bosses together, that's just twice as fucking awesome."

"Jack? Who's Jack?"

" **Jack Noir.** My archenemy from Prospit City, the reason I moved in the first place! I have a lead on a few connections of his, and they moved here just recently. So I figured, why not relocate as well?"

"Connections?" she asked, very interested. "What kind of connections?"

Karkat leaned in conspiratorially. "Just between you and me," he hissed, "I've found four adults who seem to be in cahoots with him. At least they know something about him. I've only actually seen the one, but I know they've got something to do with the whole damn mess, and I'm going to catch them as soon as possible. I figure it'll be nice to have a partner to help me out. What do you say? I help you with the Spider, you help me with these accomplices?"

Terezi grinned maniacally. "I think we're gonna make a pretty good team, after all, Shouty McCrab."

"Please don't call me that."

"I didn't call you 'that,' Shouty."

"Oh, gog dammit."


	2. From The Personal Pyrope Files: Even Seventeen-Year-Olds Sometimes Glance at the Front Page

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...

"The Daily Prospitian" March 14, **> YEAR REDACTED<**

*Woman Discovers Personal Diary of Famous Crime Queen Mindfang!*

Everyone dreams of learning their familial legacy, discovering their blood relations to the celebrities and scholars of yesterday. This dream came true for a local woman, Aranea Serket, when she discovered her deceased mother's personal diary among boxes of files mysteriously left on her doorstep last week. The boxes had her name on them, and were reportedly left to her by Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, the famous queen of crime in the city of Prospit who perished mysteriously after the fire that destroyed her home.

Serket has chosen not to disclose these papers, but has assured us that 'there might be more to the story than we knew before'. "I want to make sure I understand her before I let the world see her," she informed. "There's still so much for me to absorb here."

A schoolteacher, wife, and mother, Serket never believed her legacy held so much mystery and intrigue. "I'm completely baffled by it. 'Ranee is the sweetest, most law-abiding woman you'll ever meet. How can she be related to that [criminal]?" her husband commented, before being hushed by Serket.

Although the diary of a crime queen is still under wraps today, there's no knowing what tomorrow will bring. But the truth has a funny habit of coming to light in the most surprising times and places, and we will keep a sharp eye and ear out for any further comment from Serket or her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real chapter incoming.


	3. Shot in the Heart Part Two: Families and Hideouts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terezi and Karkat attempt to track down the prime suspect in the case of Feferi Piexes's murder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: ADDED AN ENTIRE SCENE WITH SOLLUX IN THE MIDDLE. CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO PUT IT IN.

"I just don't understand why something like this could happen!" the lady was crying again.

They were seated not in the dark interrogation room Terezi was used to, but a comfortable living room they'd been invited into by the unfortunate woman who'd discovered the body. She was seated across from the lady, whom they were questioning, and Karkat was seated beside his partner. From the annoyed little grunts and mutters he couldn't keep from bursting out from time to time, he probably wouldn't be for long.

Karkat rubbed his temples in frustration, trying to stay calm. Terezi took over yet again.

"So, you had no idea about any illegal activities--"

"No, no! Not at all, there was nothing going on that I knew of. Illegal things, I mean. Just because we're in the inner city doesn't mean the aquarium's involved in something like that!" she said desperately.

"All right. So you don't think that Ms. Piexes would be involved in anything like that, either?" Terezi asked calmly.

"No, definitely not," the woman sniffed. "Feferi was the cleanest person I knew, so generous and kind to everyone. She was set to become the director for a reason!"

Karkat perked up. "She was set to be the director?"

"Yes, the boss was planning on retiring this summer, and he wanted her to be in charge when he left." she explained. "He really admired Feferi's passion for the place, and her competency."

"She had been working there for how long before now?"

"I think, probably two years?" The woman scratched her head. "Maybe two and a half."

"That doesn't seem to be very long working someplace before taking over." Karkat remarked.

"Well, yes, Eridan was going to be in charge, but then he went a bit off-track." she retorted. "So she was the best person aside from him."

He leaned forward. "She took someone else's job? Or, she was going to?"

"Why? Do you think _he_ might have killed her?" Her voice was suddenly shrill.

"We're just trying to figure out all the details before--" Terezi began to explain gently.

"He wouldn't have. He couldn't have!" she went on without stopping. "That's the one thing you can be sure about. He was never jealous of that. He would never have hurt her. Never. He even agreed with all of us that she was better suited for the job, didn't put up any fight!"

"Still, we can never be sure." Karkat growled. "We know this had to be an inside job, and so far he seems to be the only one with any kind of possible motive."

"Then again, we haven't questioned everyone yet, and--" Terezi tried again.

"But I'm telling you," the woman said firmly, "Eridan Ampora wouldn't have done it. He _wasn't_ jealous of her."

Karkat snorted, ignoring Terezi's warning look. "Please. You have no idea what goes on in these killers' heads. He could have been hiding it, biding his time. . ."

"Karkat!" Terezi was pissed. He was ruining her interrogation. She wasn't planning on going bad cop until a bit later, and he was stealing her job!

"He loved her, okay?" the woman nearly shouted. "He had a _huge_ crush on her. He wouldn't be able to hurt her. Especially not for something as petty as that!"

Terezi and Karkat looked at each other. She shrugged. Maybe there _was_ something to his right-off-the-bat-bad-cop tactics, after all.

"Well, we'll bring him in for questioning, just to see for ourselves," she said in a pacifying way. "Now, what else can you tell us about Feferi Piexes's personal schedule? Would you call her a neat person, or. . ."

 

====>

 

"That Ampora guy."

Karkat, eyes trained on his tennis ball (which he was now bouncing loudly) grunted in response.

Terezi flinched at another loud pair of _thumps_ as the ball hit the wall and the floor.

"Could you quit that?"

"What?" He looked over at her. "It helps me concentrate."

"Well, it's killing _my_ concentration." she snapped. "You're the newbie here. Show some respect and knock it off."

He rolled his eyes and pocketed the tennis ball. "So, what _about_ that Ampora guy?"

"He seems to be our best bet for an actual murderer." she responded.

"Well, everyone _does_ seem to be completely in shock." Karkat affirmed. "And he's the only one we haven't brought in yet."

"We just have to bring him in, interrogate him, and get him to confess." Terezi clapped her hands together.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. " _Naive,_ Pyrope." he said in a sing-songy voice.

"What?" she demanded. "I am _not_ naive! I've been dealing with criminals for three _years_ now, and--"

"Exactly, so you should know that just because he's out best bet doesn't mean he's our _only_ bet right now." Karkat said seriously. "You can't keep making assumptions of guilt like that."

"Guilty until proven innocent." She flashed him a smile.

"Somehow, I think you've got that backwards," he muttered, twiddling his thumbs.

Terezi looked up at the ceiling and pondered. "Hmmm. . . No, I don't think so," she responded, her face breaking out into a maniacal grin.

"Whatever. Look, just--stop pretending we know what happened and let's go over the facts, all right? We should put a little more thought into this than that."

"Fine." she huffed, sitting down at her desk. "Let's see."

"Feferi Piexes was discovered dead on the floor of the office at roughly seven AM." Karkat listed. "All workers had equal access to the room, since the important documents were under lock and key in file cabinets. Piexes was killed by a bullet in the gut, but slapped around a bit first--apparently not too much, because the only injuries she had aside from the fatal wound were a bruise on her face and a bruise around her left wrist. The door to the office was locked by whoever killed her, so either it was an inside job or somebody really wants to make it look like one, since Piexes still had her keys in her pocket."

"Why would the killer lock the door?" Terezi wondered aloud again. Karkat shrugged.

"If it was somebody who worked there, it would have been a habit to lock the door behind them, especially somebody who worked at night and was responsible for locking up. By the time they'd realize their mistake, they'd be home, and it would be too risky to go back. It also could be somebody trying to make it look like that, but that seems to be more of a long shot to me as of now."

"I'm sorry, that just seems like too convenient a mistake to me," she argued.

"Hell, it does to me, too, but force of habit is a powerful thing. If somebody accidentally killed a person they knew, they worked with, especially somebody like Feferi, after a scuffle. . . I don't know, they'd probably be in a kind of stupor, especially if they hadn't meant to fire at her, which is looking more and more likely the more we learn about this lady. Who would have it out for her?" he mused.

"Somebody who wanted her job, perhaps?" she suggested delicately.

"I don't _know_ ," he said again, wearily. "We'll talk to Ampora. Then we'll see."

"But why would somebody working there have a gun at all?"

"I said we'll _see,_ dammit!"

The phone rang, startling both out of their glaring contest.

It was Kanaya. "Get back to the station immediately," she commanded. "We've gotten in contact with Feferi's family, and her brother wants to speak to the detectives in charge of her case."

When they got back to the office, they found the police chief standing outside the door, rubbing her temples.

"What? What's wrong?" Terezi asked her, concerned.

"Just go in and speak with him." she responded, heading back to her office.

Karkat gave Terezi a questioning look.

"What's bugging _her_?"

"The guy's shirt is probably buttoned improperly," she grinned, pushing open the door.

Sitting at her desk was a tall, lanky, sandy-haired stranger twiddling his thumbs. He turned when he heard the door open.

Her partner stifled a gasp with a cough when he saw the guy's face, and no wonder. The man's eyes were a mismatching pair of red and blue. He also spoke with a bit of a lisp, which would be a huge hassle to write in, say, a fanfiction, and also inconvenient to read, which is why any theoretical dialogue written with this character wouldn't be any different than a character without a lisp. Of course, that's all tangential and entirely unrelated to anything at all.

"Yeah, take a good long look," the guest hissed at the detective. Karkat turned a pretty shade of scarlet.

"Good afternoon, mister. . ." Terezi, who found it far easier not to look twice at surprising features, stuck out her hand politely.

"Sollux." He didn't take it.

"Sollux. . . what?" she asked carefully, retracting her hand slowly.

"Just Sollux, as of now." Sollux coughed. "You're the detective in charge of Fef's case?"

" _We_ are, yes." Karkat spoke up.

Sollux shot him a withering look, and turned back to Terezi. "I have some information I think might be helpful to your investigation."

"What kind of information?" she responded.

Sollux sighed.

"I'm probably the last person she talked to, excepting whoever. . . killed her. I'm her. . . I _was_ her adoptive brother."

"Oh. Oh! Were you two close?"

He looked at the floor. Terezi realized her tone was a bit inappropriate.

"Yeah, we were," he replied quietly.

"I'm sorry. I know how hard it is to lose a family member." Karkat said in a low tone.

"We are going to bring your sister's murderer to justice," Terezi declared. "No matter what it takes."

Sollux looked up at them, quickly drawing an arm across his eyes. "All right.

"Feferi always texts me when she's going to head home. She loves-- _loved_ the aquarium, and wanted to do her best, but she felt unsafe in the city. So she'd let me know when she was packing up and heading out every night, in case. . . yeah. So, the other night, she seemed a bit worried. I wanted to call her, but she was doing something, and couldn't pick up. . . This is our text history," he said, pushing forward a sheet of paper. "You can take my phone if you want to compare and double check, but I'd like to have it back for work today."

"I don't think that'll be necessary, at least at this point." Karkat was telling him as she picked up the paper and began examining it carefully.

Friday, February 7. 20XX. 7:48 PM.

CC: Hey, Sol.

CC: Heading out now, as soon as I can get my papers together. I'm super duper ready for T) (-E W--E--EK---END!

TA: kay, 2ee you 2oon.

CC: ...

TA: what'2 goiing on.

TA: are you okay? ii2 2omethiing wrong?

CC: Yeah! Yes, I'm fine.

CC: But I'm worried about... you know.

TA: oh, douchebag boy, huh?

TA: what'2 he been doiing lately?

CC: Oh, nothing. Just acting a T-E-ENSY bit ... weirder! Than usual.

TA: what.

TA: weiird how?

CC: W--ELL...

CC: Not stuff I should say over text! We can talk about it later, all right?

CC: I'm just a little worried about him. I'm sure it's nothing!

CC: I've got to handle a few things before I leave.

TA: okay, be 2afe.

CC: I will. 38)

TA: oh, and remember:

TA: if he'2 tryiing to a2k you out, you owe me ten buck2.

CC: ) (A!

TA: 2ee you later, fef. 

CC: <3

TA: yeah, yeah.

TA: <3

Final message sent Friday, February 7. 20XX. 8:13 PM.

Terezi handed her partner the paper and turned to Sollux.

"So, she was your adoptive sister?"

He nodded mutely.

"Did she usually talk like this? Who is she referring to?"

"The asshole whose job she was going to take. Eridan Ampora," he spat venomously.

"Okay. Do you know Mr. Ampora well?"

"Yes, I do. Better than I'd like." Sollux growled. "He's a dramatic jerk who only cares about himself."

Karkat looked up from the paper to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, okay, whatever you're thinking. . . yes. We used to be pretty good. . . friends, rivals, it was a complicated relationship. Whatever, it's not important. But then he and Feferi became really close when _they_ started working together. She was just able to handle his shit, way more easily than I ever was."

He shoved his oval glasses further up on his nose and continued. "They were best friends. But he wanted to be something more, I could tell. And it was weird, because while this was happening, he was becoming more and more of a douche."

"In what way?" Karkat demanded.

"He just. . . stopped listening. He started hanging around unpleasant people, and trying to borrow money. It was stupid as fuck, and I told him. But most of all, he just closed off, you know? Stopped hanging out with Fef, except at work. Stopped hanging out with _me_ altogether. . ." Sollux bit his lip.

Terezi turned to Karkat. "Vantas, we _need_ to talk to this guy."

"Do you have a description of the suspect?" Karkat asked Sollux.

"Here." Their guest slapped a photo on the table, fairly small and torn on one side, as if it was ripped in half. It displayed a scowling, pale man with dark, wavy hair and a blue scarf. "That's him. Eridan motherfucking Ampora."

"Nice looking guy," Terezi commented, craning her neck to study it. "You said he was pursuing your sister. . . Was he in any other relationships?"

Sollux smiled without humor. "No way. He sucked at talking to people. Too 'stand-offish', his dad would always say. We've been friends for a long time, that's the only reason we stuck around."

Karkat picked up the photo and stuffed it in his trench coat pocket. "Well, Sollux, we haven't been able to find him yet to ask him any questions, but we'll look."

"He hangs around the neighborhood near the aquarium sometimes," he offered. "You might find him there."

"Great!" Terezi chirped. "We'll head out and look for him right now."

"Wait, we will?"

"Yes, we will, Shouty. And, Sollux. . ."

He glanced up to meet her eyes. She took a deep breath.

"If you know him so well, why do you think he would kill Feferi?"

"You know, that's a really good question." Sollux answered. "There's a few different possible solutions to that. He isn't the same person we knew as kids, for one thing. I don't think he was very stable emotionally. He could have been drunk or something, I'm sure he drinks now. But the answer I like the most has to be this one.

"I think the only person who would have been able to pull him out of the funk he was in was Feferi, and they both knew it. 

"So if he wanted to continue the life he was living, he'd have to say goodbye to her. And that might be the thing to finally break him."

Terezi offered her hand again. This time, Sollux took it. Shaking it firmly, she smiled sadly at him.

"We'll find him, Sollux. And when we do, we're going to get to the bottom of this mess."

"I'll be here." he answered.

"What?" Karkat demanded.

Sollux grinned without really smiling. "I'm staying at the station until you bring him in to question him. And when you release him, I'm going to give him the ass-kicking of his life."

Karkat's eyes widened, but Terezi just nodded understandingly.

"We'll see you later, then."

 

"So, we're just scouring the streets for the guy in this picture?"

Terezi nodded, pulling her jacket tighter. The bitter February wind cut her to the bone, and the rumbling, dark sky above them threatened to open its gaping maw and drop a colossal downpour on the city in moments.

Catching her shivers, Karkat groaned. "Okay, let's get indoors before this storm hits."

"That might be nice." she muttered.

"But we might miss this guy if we go in now--"

A loud rumble cut him off. A few droplets of cold water began splattering on the pavement.

"Put the fucking pics in your pocket, we're finding some shelter." she hissed.

"Jeez! Fine, fine."

Karkat shoved the photos in his trench coat's pocket hastily. As he did this, Terezi snatched his arm in hers with one swift motion.

"Hey!" he protested as she darted under the canvas overhangs of the assorted shops, dragging him along with her. The droplets quickly became a flood, and the sudden roar of the rain dropped upon them in moments. Desperately, she pushed open the door to a tiny store, almost unnoticeable with its being squished between two larger ones, with her free hand.

A little bell tinkled as the door swung open and they nearly fell inside. Her partner snatched his arm back without a word. 

"What's the problem?" Terezi asked, grinning.

"You can't just grab my arm like that, jackass!" he hissed. "People might think--they might get the wrong--"

"Awww, are you blushing, Shouty?" she cooed. He spluttered in rage.

"Do you need something?"

A new voice rang out from across the room. Terezi whirled around to see a pale, old man with a long beard, round glasses, and a sharp green suit with a white bow tie. He raised an eyebrow at the bickering couple. "Or would you rather use my shop as a setting for your little argument?"

"Oh! No, I'm sorry," she said quickly. "We came in to get out of the storm."

"I see." He blinked. "Well, would you like to take a look around? We have antiques for sale, and a variety of vinyl..."

A second glance around the shop revealed that they had stumbled upon something very quaint indeed. Soft green bulbs barely lit the room and gave it a mysterious feeling. An old record player stood proudly in the corner, plinking out some unrecognizable yet faintly familiar tune. Around the room, old furniture and taped boxes were strewn.

She was captivated.

Her partner, however, was not. "Nobody uses vinyl anymore, buddy." he scoffed as his eyes darted around the room. They widened when they landed on a bright orange, quite out-of-place--yet somehow blending perfectly in with the background--puppet with shining blue eyes. "The fuck is _that??_ " he demanded.

"Karkat, shut up!" she said ferociously. "You sell puppets?"

"I only have the one... and he is _not_ for sale." the man responded, smiling despite his clearly serious tone.

Terezi refrained from saying that she'd rather buy the coffee table missing a leg over there than a terrifying hand puppet and merely asked, "Do you just sell things, here, or...?"

"I also fix things. Clocks, toys... broken records..." He smiled mysteriously, as if he'd just told an inside joke that only he would understand.

"You can't fix records," Karkat called from across the room. He was rifling through the vinyl collection.

"You cannot. _I_ can." the man replied. His tone was constantly even. It was starting to creep even _Terezi_ out.

Karkat didn't say anything else, just continued looking through the records. Terezi stayed at the door, looking around and listening for the rain to stop. She suddenly desperately wanted to leave.

"Nice typewriter," she said, trying to break the silence.

"Thank you. I like it, too."

"Looks like it still works, too. That's really cool." She took a step towards the desk which displayed the object. "What are you working on, there?"

Quick as a flash, the man stepped over and crisply tore the purple-inked page out of the machine. "Nothing for you to be concerned about at the present."

"All right, now. Mister... I'm sorry, I don't think you've told us your name."

"You're right, I haven't. Forgive my impoliteness. It's Scratch. Doctor Scratch." He smiled.

"Doctor, do you know anything about the aquarium down the street?"

"I know of it." he responded. "I also know there was a terrible accident there recently."

"Accident?" she asked, puzzled. "It was a murder."

"Mm. Was it now." He seemed unconvinced.

"Yeah, she--but that's not important." Terezi shook her head rapidly, trying to dispel the cloud of confusion and uncertainty that suddenly had descended upon her mind. "Do you know an Eridan Ampora? We're trying to get a hold of him for some questioning, but he seems to be missing."

"Ampora? That's a name I haven't heard in a while." The man cracked his knuckles. "Yes, I know of him. I know a lot of people."

"You--that's great!" she exclaimed. "Do you have any idea where he might be? We think he's still in town, but we can't figure out where he's holed up."

Scratch rubbed his chin, as if thinking deeply. "Have you tried looking at the bar?"

"The bar? Which bar?"

"The one he frequents, 'Fish's Head'. It's his favorite place to relax, and to work."

"He doesn't work there," she insisted. "His only job was at the--"

"His only _official_ job." Scratch smiled widely. "The rain's stopped. If you aren't going to buy anything, I'd ask that you kindly stop rifling through my collection." This was directed at Karkat, who scowled back at him, putting down the record he'd been examining.

Terezi listened. Sure enough, the hammering of droplets hitting the roof had all but stopped, and all that was left was a bit of dripping. "Thank you, Doctor. We'll be sure to check it out."

"Have a nice week," Scratch called as they departed.

"And _you,_ " he said to nothing, "Can come out now."

A woman with long, dark hair and a black and green sparkling suit emerged from behind one of the many bright green curtains hung around the place, seemingly at random.

"Those were police officers, weren't they?"

"You are in no danger, Miss Snow. Please," he continued as he placed the paper carefully back into the typewriter, "stay for a while. I know of some friends who can help protect you from this. . . _man_."

"I... don't want to be involved in more gangs. I've had enough of that, Scratch. Enough for a lifetime." Her voice shook.

"Then why didn't you reveal yourself to the police?"

The woman didn't respond. Scratch chuckled.

"I think you know what you want. And I think you know where you're going to stay."

 

She sighed deeply. Her hands shook for a moment before she clasped them together, and brought her face up. A kind of determination had entered her expression, an expression that said this woman wasn't going out without a fight. Her dark green eyes narrowed, and she straightened up a bit to meet Doc Scratch's eyes.

 

"What kinds of friends?"

 

 

"How would that weirdo have any idea where Eridan Ampora's hiding out?" Karkat was asking her.

Terezi was remembering not to jump in the huge, delightful puddles that had formed in the fifteen-minute long cloudburst. "Hmm?"

"He said he knew the guy. From what we've heard, Ampora doesn't seem like the type to hang around antique shops." He rolled his eyes. "If you can even _call_ it that."

"Well, you never know." she responded evasively. "We have no idea where he is, and the Fish's Head seems like just as good a place as any to ask around about him."

As they walked from the somewhat-nice part of town into the downright-not-very-nice part, Karkat became increasingly restless. He glanced around constantly, as if everyone was out to attack him. Terezi rolled her eyes at him.

"Paranoid much?" she muttered as they reached the door to the bar.

The place was dingy looking and unpleasant. The inside was dark and ominous as the outside.

And sitting right at the bar, nursing a beer with some buddies and looking quite a bit worse for wear, was their man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this work is gonna take a while. Hopefully I can finish part one soon. Sorry this chapter is shorter than I wanted it, I'm hitting a few writing blocks and this was about as much as I could force myself to get done.


End file.
